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Herman "Pat" Herst (1909 – 1999) is most widely recognized for his exceptional contributions to philately. He was a prolific writer of philatelic literature and won every important award in the field, including the American Philatelic Society's Luff award. A third generation Mason, Herst was born and educated in Portland, Oregon, but spent most his life in New York and a member of the Masonic Stamp Club. Herst first championed the popular trend of topical collecting, specializing in specific stamp themes. After his death, his wife Ida donated his collections of Masonic, Philatelic, and Holocaust related material. This unique collection includes rare stamped and cancelled letters from inmates in Concentration Camps and ghetto currency. Also included in the collection are historical documents related to Freemasonry and photocopies of rare materials from and about the Ruhleben German Prisoner of War Camp from 1914 – 1918.

The collection's two major groupings of papers are Antebellum and Civil War newspapers in OS Box 1 and Gilded Age, Progressive, and 20th century newspapers in OS Box 2. The majority of the papers are from the southern states in the United States. OS Box 3 is photostat copies of its contents.

The Historical Newspaper Collection was donated by the History Department to FAU Libraries. The newspapers cover important historical events such as: World War II; Space; and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy

Collection consists of the following:

The Mount Vernon Plantation (the name was later changed to Pickney Hills) was located in Jefferson County about seven miles east of Monticello, Florida with a view overlooking "Razor Lake," so named by Mr. Hollingsworth because of its shape. The number of enslaved peoples listed, the livestock listed, records of sales of farm products, purchases of supplies, and descriptions of different parcels of land shown in the Last Will of John Hollingsworth indicate that Mount Vernon Plantation covered rather extensive acreage. The will also shows that he owned a home near Edgefield, South Carolina, which was situated on "about eleven hundred acres."